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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. race — a contest
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — in golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. race — the arms race
  22. club — for golf
  23. race — humankind
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com